Town will develop resiliency plans to counter risks
In late June, just before the Hamilton Fire erupted on the outskirts of Winthrop and forced the entire town to evacuate, Winthrop officials learned they had been awarded a grant to plan how to help the town survive wildfire.
It was a perfect — and timely — example of why Winthrop needs to develop strategies to deal with wildfire, said Rocklynn Culp, Winthrop town planner.
“The last weekend of this June brought a fast moving, wind-driven fire to the doorstep of our community, highlighting the urgency behind our project,” Culp said.
With a $110,200 grant, Winthrop will develop fire resiliency plans to help the community address wildfire risk. The grant was awarded through a national program called the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI), which provides funding and support to communities facing significant climate-related challenges.
CSCI said it received 271 applications for funding from communities around the country, and awarded 28 grants. Communities that received funding are addressing a range of climate challenges, from flooding and wildfire to shifts in habitats and ecosystems.
“This is a really unique grant,” said Culp. Each award supports a partnership between a local government, a community-based organization, and a consultant that provides technical expertise.
Winthrop will partner with Fire Adapted Methow, a community organization, and The Keystone Concept, an environmental sustainability consulting firm based in McCall, Idaho.
Culp said she and Nancy Farr, a representative of Fire Adapted Methow, interviewed four consultants to work with Winthrop on the project and selected The Keystone Group, which has previous experience with a CSCI-funded project. The consultant will lead the project, Culp said.
“We get to take part without necessarily having to drive the process. We’re so happy to have someone hold our hand,” she said.
Building a toolkit
The stated goal of the project is to produce a “Wildfire Resilience Toolkit & Collaborative Governance Model.”
The toolkit will provide a strategic focus that identifies “tasks we need to prioritize in our landscape and in our situation that will have the most impact in protecting our community,” Culp explained.
The collaborative governance model means a “community-driven” approach to addressing wildfire risks, she said. “That’s where Fire Adapted Methow comes in, as a central coordinating entity.”
Culp said three pilot projects, yet to be determined, will be developed for “testing on the ground.” Consultants from The Keystone Concept will come to Winthrop in the fall, and Culp said she anticipates some kind of community outreach at that time.
Winthrop presents some complex issues in developing wildfire resiliency, Culp said. “So much of the guidance around fire is geared toward exurban development” — housing outside of town limits, she said.
“In town we’re not just dealing with adapting to an extreme fire situation, we have also got to make sure we’re economically viable and addressing housing needs. It necessitates compact development. You can’t just put a bunch of green space around it,” Culp said.
Most fire adaptation guidelines are about households. “There’s nothing out there about how you protect a wooden downtown,” she said.
“We aim to develop a collaborative governance model and fire resiliency toolkit that address the particular challenges for small amenity-focused communities in the fire prone West,” Culp said.
The planning project is expected to be completed at the end of next year. When it is done, Culp wants a “tangible, shareable” product, like a document that identifies challenges and presents ways to work with them. The goal is to create a toolkit that will be useful to other rural towns, like neighboring Twisp, that are facing wildfire risks exacerbated by climate change.
“We’re excited for the ways this project will prepare our community for the future, and hope our model inspires similar communities,” Culp said.
